Beef stew with flavor-boosting red wine, sirloin steak, fresh thyme, Italian seasonings, potatoes, carrots and corn. With both stove top and slow cooker methods included in the directions. . . my preference is for the crock pot.

Tender pork ribs slow cooked in a spicy adobo sauce made of tomatoes, onion, garlic, chipotle pepper, smoked paprika and oregano. Every night when my Dad gets home from work he checks the stove to see if we’re cooking meat for dinner.

Mediterranean chicken ragù with artichokes, capers, roasted red peppers, fennel, garlic, tomatoes and orrechiette pasta. Little ears. With their hollowed out nooks they capture the slow-cooked melange of vegetables and seasoned chicken so tender it falls apart merely by touch. This sauce was the best way to use up the half-eaten jars of Italian delicacies…

An exotic spin on old-fashioned chicken soup that brings the same nourishing, curative comfort we crave from it. With the addition of coconut milk, edamame, rice noodles, carrot, ginger, lemongrass and cilantro – the homey, comforting flavors of chicken soup are kicked up a notch. Or two. The coconut laden broth is the best part…

I’m here today with an important public service announcement: you should buy a crock pot! If you already own one than dust it off and put it to work! Why am I suddenly ‘tooting’ the horn of crock pots everywhere? Because I’m convinced the crock pot is a miracle worker. Once a non-believer, I had…